Celebrities are either hot-then-not or incredibly long standing. The public eye seems to ricochet between obsessing about certain people for years to dropping someone as soon as they stop making waves (either good or bad). It's remarkable how easy it is, as a celebrity, to come back from the dead as well. The shock of celebrity resurgence doesn't seem to wear off in our tabloids or entertainment magazines, especially if there's marriage, controversy, or enhancements involved. These young stars haven't been around long enough for that though. These young artists, rebels, and visual icons are showing off the power of youth; its beauty, its ideas, and its resilient artistry. Some of these stars are making a splash in well-loved styles like music and modeling, while some are forging ahead in new artistic genres, like Instagram and YouTube. The beauty of having new artists means that there's new ideas being made and new artistic developments. It's hard to believe just how young some of these kids are; barely legal! Check out these wicked young celebrities… You might be surprised just how barely legal some of them are.
20 Jaden Smith
To start the list off, we’ve chosen Jaden Smith. This guy is still quite young, but we feel like he’s been around forever; probably because he has. He’s been in the public eye since he was a kid, with dad Will Smith paving the way for his artistic endeavors. He’s not only famous because of his dad though, like some people later on in this list. He’s got his own good artsy work though, as well as some acting work under his belt. The Instagram account he runs has a lot of his forward-thinking fashion, breaking down the gendered stereotypes of clothes and promoting his own style and brand. While his dad might have been the inciting factor as to why he became famous in the first place, he’s really made it his own. He’s got a ton of heart and passion, and is outspoken about what he believes. He’s an inspiration for a new generation of stars who fight to be themselves, and it makes sense he runs around with the next person on our list…
19 Amandla Stenberg
This kick a$$ actor and artist has a huge amount of fans and love from young people everywhere. Calling out appropriation and racism in pop celebrities’ Instagram accounts, promoting bi-visibility, and overall being super genuinely herself has made this lady jump right to the top. Not to mention the fact that she was in one of the most popular book-to-movie franchises since Harry Potter. The Hunger Games was hugely successful, even though some people think it was drawn out for one too many movies. The spectacle aspect was huge though, and gave us reason to keep going back. Not to mention Amandla Stenberg’s performance as Rue was totally heart wrenching and powerful. She’s an awesome actor, and she’s only just turned 19! What the heck! Seasoned actors, take note: This is how you not only support your art, but your beliefs as well.
18 Shawn Mendes
A name that’s been tossed around more and more frequently, the popularity with which Shawn Mendes has garnered traction in the music world is ridiculous. He’s one of the biggest up-and-coming pop stars, and has found a home in the upbeat dance music scene. Not only can he lay claim to having a spot on the top 10 in US and Canada, but he also has two albums that hit the top of the US Billboard 200. It’s totally impressive, and totally cool that he’s so young and doing so well. This guy is just 18, still months away from being legally allowed to drink in (some parts of) Canada. He’s got a Forbes 30 under 30 achievement, as well as a Teen Choice Award and a Time Magazine most influential teen award. There’s nothing more impressive than a self-made person, and it’s always more shocking to hear about it from someone so young. This guy made it through his Vines and cover songs, which means he got famous from literally 6 seconds of genius. Talk about unexpected!
17 Auli’i Cravalho
This voice actress has a claim to fame as the title character in Moana. What’s wild about this is that she was just 14 at the time of casting. When the decision came out, everyone was excited. As a native Hawaiian, it was great to see Disney going for the honesty of this character. Plus, she was so young. This added to the energy and drive that the character needed. Auli’i really gave it her all, and we’re excited to see what happens next in her life. Born in 2000, she’s one of the youngest on this list. While she started later than some of the big stars, getting her big break at 14, it’s exactly what she needs to jump start a long career of voice acting and screen work. Plus, Disney is a huge name. She’ll get a ton of work from their backing, and no doubt good things will come from it. Not to mention the fact that she’s so positive! She’ll go very far in life, and this is a great first shot.
16 Tana Mongeau
Who ever thought you could get famous for being yourself? This YouTuber has had a huge following, regular viewers in the millions. She doesn't seem to do anything too special either. While some people might think of famous YouTubers as those people you see doing funny stunts and dramatic work, or who go over the top with funky personalities and controversial discussion. However, Tana Mongeau doesn't do any of that. While she makes some strange videos, they're not the weirdest out there. She has a unique style, and often spends time talking about her personality quirks instead of making a point about the world. Somehow she's got a ginormous following, but it's maybe a good thing. Because she's so genuinely herself, she's sparked the trend for other YouTubers to be genuinely themselves. She's got the sparkle and shine in terms of looks as well, which might also help with her following. Not to mention the fact that she offers a variety of content, from weird to serious… and she's been doing it for years! Considering the fact that she's 18, that's wildly impressive.
15 Miss Mulatto
Most professional rappers out there now can only dream of working with people like 2 Chainz and Janelle Monae. The bigger the name, more impressive the collaboration, and Miss Mulatto (who also answers to Alyssa Michelle Stephens) has quite the impressive experience. Not only has she worked with these award winning artists, but she’s also won some awards herself. She was the recipient of the Georgia Music Awards Youth Hip Hop and R&B category. She does her own writing, mixing, performing, and marketing, and is proof that young people are the hardworking wave of the future. She’s got a wicked style, and had been drag racing until she was 10… Which means you definitely don’t want to mess with her. Her sense of self is through the roof, and it comes through in her mixtape. She knows who she is, so much so that she killed it on The Rap Game; and you can only kill it on The Rap Game if you’ve got game… Which she totally does.
14 Maggie Lindemann
Some people are famous for having game, while some people are famous for other reasons. Maggie Lindemann is a great singer, a good writer, but more than anything she’s got a heart of gold. While we’re not saying these kids are all famous twats, some of them can come off like that. Especially the “Youtube personalities” that a lot of people find annoying. Maggie Lindemann is just a very sweet girl, protective of and loyal to her family. She started off as being a popular self-model, posting snapchats, twitter statuses, and Instagram shots that showed off her best side all the time. This made people fall in love with her, as well as her commitment to her family. She’s launched herself off of that in order to gain notoriety as a singer/songwriter, and her singles have reached incredibly high on Top 20 charts around the world. She’s also branched into youtube, dating another famous youtuber after ending a Vine-based relationship. Such a crazy life for one so young!
13 Madison Pettis
Do you remember That’s So Raven? This family channel cornerstone was the beginning of many people’s love affair with sitcoms. Not only did it feature a strong, black female lead, but it focused around her family and friends, and all the trials and tribulations of growing up. If you remember the show you’ll remember then Raven had a brother named Cory, who received his own spinoff. Cory in the House was never really as popular, but it helped to revive a career and reignite the love in our hearts. Madison Pettis was Sophie Martinez on that show, as well as being featured in several movies and other tv shows. She’s also got a bunch of modeling gigs under her belt, as she’s been working since she was 5 years old. She’s had an exciting life, and we can’t wait to see what more she’ll do. No doubt working with the Family Channel has given her tons of connections she can build on now!
12 Jack Dail
It’s not just pretty girls that can be Instagram stars. In fact, it’s nice to see a guy posting funny, unpretentious shots every now and then. Unlike his modely counterparts, this kid takes Instagram with a grain of salt. His fame started on the Vine network, and went from interesting to weird to funny super quick. He very quickly came into his own in terms of Vine art, and it’s a shame that the website/app was shut down. The stuff he was doing made us go “what?!” in the best possible way; not to mention his collabs with other famous young Viners. It’s almost a shame Instagram doesn’t have the same format capacities. We hope he pursues comedy and stand up in the future, as he’d have a good shot at making it big. First step? Turn old enough to go into the bars and comedy clubs he’d be performing at.
11 Briar Nolet
An up-and-coming dancer with an incredibly smile, this beautiful lady is nowhere near out of her teenage years. She looks like she’s 25 though, which a grace and elegance that’s well beyond her time. She’s got an ease and confidence, as well as this gorgeous, long blonde hair. How do we know she’s got this total package of cool? She’s a dancer. And we don’t mean the club type. She was a dancer for the Canadian Dance Company, and has won awards and notoriety for her solo act competition pieces. She’s got a great style, and a unique dance persona. It’s quirky and charming all at once, and her company was definitely lucky to have her. It’s not like she’s moved on from dance, but she has branched into acting now. She’s currently on the Family Channel, where many young stars start, but no doubt we’ll see her on an up-and-coming movie soon. She’s just so talented!
10 Sabrina Carpenter
One of the arguably most famous on the list, Sabrina Carpenter has quite the resume for someone so young. She’s been on Orange is the New Black, as well as playing Maya in Girl Meets World. While she isn’t old enough to have grown up watching Boy Meets World, we know that she’s done her research. She’s a smart cookie, and is a great inspiration for those even younger than her. Not to mention the fact that she’s a multi-disciplinary artist. Not only is she a phenomenal actress, but she’s also a great vocalist. She’s got pipes that take down the house, and even Miley Cyrus thinks so! She placed 3rd in a competition Cyrus created. While it might not be first place, we don’t think it matters. She’s doing well enough that we know she’ll go places, regardless of one little contest. It’s almost a shame she’s not an Instagram star though, as she’s absolutely gorgeous. No doubt she’ll conquer that mountain too!
9 Aaron Carpenter
Why does this name sound familiar? Well, you’ve probably heard of him, and maybe heard of him in connection to Shawn Mendes. While you might think of Shawn Mendes as a solo act, he started as part of a group called the Magcon Boys. This group consisted of Aaron Carpenter, Shawn Mendes, Jack Gilinsky, as well as a few other popular Viners at the time. He’s also collaborated with other big name Viners, earning him a top spot with many, many followers. It’s like he’s built himself up just to push himself out into the world, and to make advertising his music easier. While that’s not a bad thing, it’s certainly a shame Vine doesn’t exist anymore. We’d love to see what he would do now, now that the app has had its 6 seconds in the sun. He’s moved on to music, which is either fortunate or unfortunate… Depending on how you feel about teenage pop anthems.
8 Karan Brar
How much cooler can you be than being in Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Just kidding. The sarcasm can’t stick for Karan Brar, who’s worked hard on improving not only himself, but his career. His bilingual tongue was trained by a dialect coach at a young age in order to decrease his Indian accent; this is something that many famous actors can still struggle with, and this kid did it just to get it out of the way for working in American film! He’s gotten quite famous too, picking up huge supporting roles and getting 3 Young Artist Awards. It’s almost unheard of, the fact that he’s so well liked and so young. No doubt he’s got a huge career ahead of him, and is going to start picking up leading roles soon. He’s also cute as a button, and we’d be surprised if he didn’t continue to pursue his artistic work. He’s done so well, and it would be a shame to see it disappear.
7 Ivan and Emilio Martinez
What are these twins famous for? Seemingly nothing. If you were to look at them stripped of all their social media fame, you'd see them as regular teenage boys… albeit attractive ones. They've got the looks that make you go “wow”, without any of the pretentious stardom that surrounds famous attractive people. When you look a little closer though, they're actually quite smart. While they aren't models, they've got a huge Instagram following. Their YouTube account is also popular, where they're working with a third in order to make videos and get up to shenanigans. Their looks were definitely what started this, as well as their incredibly attractive homeland. Being born in an exotic place almost always guarantees that people are going to be impressed with your photos. While the banks of Sicily or the Italian architecture might be their day to day, to those of us in North America it's more akin to fantasy land. Most of us can't imagine a world where classic art and beautiful weather exist all the time, and in the general public view. Not to mention (again) the fact that they're SO attractive. Wow! It's just beauty on beauty with these two, and the fact that they're twins just adds to our attraction.
6 Brooklyn Beckham
While some of these kids are self-made, Brooklyn Beckham is decidedly not. He's got style, and a pretty bumping Instagram account, but it's not anything too special. He's got good style. While a lot of these people work hard to gain a lot of followers because of their style, he seems to naturally slide into a lot of people watching and liking his stuff. Why? We'd like to bet that it's because of his family. The son of David Beckham, this kid has been born into the life of luxury many of us only dream about. He's been a star since his time in the womb, with everyone vying for a look at the offspring of one of the most famous sports stars in the world. His wife also helps, as he's married to Posh Spice. For anyone who grew up watching the Spice Girls, this is a big deal. It's no surprise that the people who like David Beckham and Victoria Beckham are interested in their son, as quite a few of them are starting to think about their own kids! Brooklyn has also been in the media as a bit of a sensation in regards to his arrogance. Apparently growing up with two famous parents can make you very proud. Oh well! He's way more famous than we can ever aspire to be… and he's barely legal!
5 Ricky Garcia
This kid seems to have a different face from every angle, which is probably why he was a model before becoming a hit on the reality TV show, The X Factor. This Puerto Rican born boy-next-door hit it big as part of the Simon Cowell group Forever in Your Mind. While it might seem silly, they certainly did well. While not only famous from his modeling and music, he also seemed to do well with his other media presence. The paparazzi really liked him, and the gossip train was a-rolling when he was dating Dance Moms star Chloe Lukasiak. How these kids found each other, who knows. It seems like even young celebrities are prone to dating within the famous sphere, just like older celebrities. In the same way we see Taylor Swift with a new famous arm candy boy every other month, it looks like Ricky Garcia is turning out the same way… Though his relationships haven’t been too hot and heavy yet.
4 Cindy Kimberly
Some of the Bieber fans out there hate her, and some of them are in awe. She’s either a goddess or a devil, depending on how you feel about the Biebs. Her normally humdrum life of babysitting and posting cute selfies was turned upside down when Justin Bieber gained a bit of a long distance crush on her. She had posted a super cute shot that got him riled up enough to ask the internet who she is. She then received an influx of messages and followers, shooting her up to 2.6 million Instagram followers basically overnight. Imagine that… Getting famous just for posting a cute pic while babysitting. It sounds like the type of thing to only happen in movies or stories, but low and behold Bieber made dreams a reality. She’s decided to keep her fame going the best way she knows how: by posting portraits her followers drew of her. It might seem silly, but Cindy’s pretty clever. Keep people engaged and they’ll follow you whatever happens.
3 Elizabeth Wurst
This adorable lady is another Instagram star. Let’s talk about how visual our society is. Based on a few pages of pictures, someone seems to be able to go from nothing to something overnight. It seems almost unbelievable, until you start to look at the method to the madness. Elizabeth Wurst has 1.2 million Instagram followers, as well as almost a million on Youtube. She’s also got Twitter, probably snapchat, and gained most of her notoriety over Vine. The 6 second clips of her funny life and her song covers made her super famous, which then fed the rest of her media presence. It’s similar to how Shawn Mendes started small, doing covers, and then broke into the overall music industry. While she doesn’t exactly want to be a singer, she does want her name out there. This is the way it happens, too, and this kid’s got it all figured out: gain popularity on one, have a super cool other, and link to the rest of your online presence. What a foolproof way to make it big! Being super cute helps as well, eh, Elizabeth?
2 Chris Miles
Have you seen this wild rapper? His skills are more impressive than some people well beyond his years, and his lyrics are more clever than Byron and Keats. Well… Maybe that’s an exaggeration. He does have the same sort of teenage spark that those classic poets have, and one that older rappers try to keep. Since he’s starting so young, we anticipate he’ll do very well. His words are hot, and he’s not too bad in the looks department either. Not to mention his work ethic! He’s already released 3 mixtapes, which means he’s not only forging new paths, but thinking of old work in new ways, mixing and mingling the last generation with the next. This is the work we like to see in our young stars, especially when they’re signed with big labels. Oftentimes the more corporate the young artists are, the more they turn into corporate fodder. They’re molded into the vision of the label, but that’s not the case for Chris Miles. He’s got a heart that’s stuck in being him, going so far as to name one of his first mixtapes “I Am Me”.
1 Amanda Steele
While one of the older “barely legal” teens on this list (at an ancient 19), you might recognize Amanda Steele's face more than her name. Another YouTube celebrity, she's done everything from funny collaborations to makeup tutorials. For those of you not in the know, make up tutorials are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Don't know how to do a cat eye? No problem. Want a sexy, smokey eye look? There's a dozen how tos and a dozen more how-not-tos. To be good at makeup tutorials is a special skill, as it not only teaches people how to do something, but it requires a certain flair and personality to be popular at it. Michelle Phan was one of the trailblazers of makeup videos, and it's no surprise that they've taken off. Amanda Steele, while she's still incredibly young, has almost as much clout and knowledge as makeup tutorial goddess Michelle Phan. And we'll deserved, too. She started when she was quite young, and has grown with the YouTube community. She's got a big body of work, and demonstrates calm, cool, creative creations. Not to mention informative! It's hard to believe this maturity is in one so young.
